View Full Version : Oh joy.. not again.
I guess it's only reasonable, but half of me hoped I would be able to transfer my UK license to a Hawaiian one. Sadly not.
So today I ambled on down to the DMV office during an extended lunch break, filled out some paperwork and sat the written test.
26/30, passmark being 24. All 4 questions I failed were ones specific to US road stuff, e.g. they have "Reduce Speed: 35mph" signs which mean "35 mph speed limit ahead" and I went for "35 mph speed limit starts here" :)
Next step, sitting the road test. Need to book a time when Kari can accompany me to the test centre as I have to have a 21+ fully licensed driver with me who's insured on the vehicle in which I take the test (as must I be). Our car, in other words.
Del Lardo
28-08-2009, 00:44
Better to be 50% there rather than 0% there.
Bear in mind that the first time I drove in the US I nearly got shot for not knowing you could turn right on a red
Better to be 50% there rather than 0% there.
Bear in mind that the first time I drove in the US I nearly got shot for not knowing you could turn right on a red
;D
Always a classic.
leowyatt
28-08-2009, 06:52
Good luck.
Thankfully I was pre-warned about turning right :D
Mohinder
01-09-2009, 22:10
I've never been to the US, but I've always wondered... if you can turn right on a red, how does any bugger ever cross the road?
With caution! ;D
Done it countless times myself though and never had any bother - you just need to find the buttons for the pedestrian crossing (if there are any) and be careful.
I've never been to the US, but I've always wondered... if you can turn right on a red, how does any bugger ever cross the road?
Pedestrians have priority. In Hawaii the road laws changed a couple of years ago that means if a pedestrian is in the crossing on your half of the road, not just clear of your lane, you can't cross that line. They're quite pedantic about that one too.
They don't have the right to cross the road whenever they like, though, only allowed to cross at pedestrian crossings, and only when the white man is showing, or a "WALK" sign is illuminated.
SidewinderINC
01-09-2009, 23:12
and doesn't jaywalking have quite big penalties?
Mohinder
01-09-2009, 23:24
Oh so crossings are activated separately from red lights?
It all makes sense in that case, I never did get that... seeing as we cross at red lights.
and doesn't jaywalking have quite big penalties?
Yes indeed. $130 a pop. But then often you're crossing 4 lanes of traffic, so it makes a certain kind of sense. Combine that with Hawaiian drivers being something like the 4th worst in the US, the crosswalk is rather important to safety!
Oh so crossings are activated separately from red lights?
It all makes sense in that case, I never did get that... seeing as we cross at red lights.
Crossings can be activated separately from lights. I haven't quite figured out yet how the button press impacts light sequences. It doesn't often seem to have much impact. If it's appropriate to cross the sign always changes to reflect that whether someone has pressed the button or not.
I've never been to the US, but I've always wondered... if you can turn right on a red, how does any bugger ever cross the road?
J walk and try not to get shot by Sherrif J Bunnel ;D
Davey_Pitch
02-09-2009, 10:37
Bear in mind that the first time I drove in the US I nearly got shot for not knowing you could turn right on a red
I love that law, wish they'd bring it into effect here as well (turning left obviously though, not right ;D).
I love that law, wish they'd bring it into effect here as well (turning left obviously though, not right ;D).
Along with 'filter in turn' as they have in the Channel Islands.
I've never been to the US, but I've always wondered... if you can turn right on a red, how does any bugger ever cross the road?
Duh! Nobody WALKS in America! :D
SidewinderINC
02-09-2009, 20:14
Along with 'filter in turn' as they have in the Channel Islands.
I like that idea, just a shame people aren't as willing to be polite here.
Duh! Nobody WALKS in America! :D
If only that were a joke :-/
Its stunning how much people balk at the distances I walk without thinking about it, and seriously, it isn't like I'm walking far. Some balk when they contemplate that I walked 1 mile from the bus stop back home rather than stand around for 30-40 minutes for the next bus to come along that would then take a 3 mile twisty route to get home.
I'd imagine walking 1 mile in Hawaii is a lot nicer than walking a mile anywhere in the UK
I'd imagine walking 1 mile in Hawaii is a lot nicer than walking a mile anywhere in the UK
At the moment not so much. Humidity is so high doing anything active is nasty. For most of the year though, yeah the views are pretty spectacular, and the weather is generally good so they ought to have little reason for not walking.
Davey_Pitch
03-09-2009, 15:54
At the moment not so much. Humidity is so high doing anything active is nasty.
It was like that when I was in Florida for honeymoon, doing anything in the sun means getting very hot and sweaty very quickly.
Del Lardo
03-09-2009, 16:09
It was like that when I was in Florida for honeymoon, doing anything in the sun means getting very hot and sweaty very quickly.
;):o:evil:
Treefrog
06-09-2009, 14:24
If only that were a joke :-/
Its stunning how much people balk at the distances I walk without thinking about it, and seriously, it isn't like I'm walking far. Some balk when they contemplate that I walked 1 mile from the bus stop back home rather than stand around for 30-40 minutes for the next bus to come along that would then take a 3 mile twisty route to get home.
Indeed! And a mile is only a 15 minute walk. And it keeps you warm instead of shivering at the bus stop :D
From where I live there's a choice of an hourly bus which takes the scenic route into Hanley and the bus stop is 4 minutes away, or a very frequent service but the bus stop is 15 minutes walk away. So it's a 45 minute trip or a 25 minute trip (plus waiting time) respectively. But it's 20-25 mins on the mountain bike depending on which way the wind is blowing. In a car, after you've contended with traffic, traffic lights and one-way systems and found a place to park you're looking at 15 mins as a minimum.
To me it just seems silly not to use the bike and get a bit of exercise into the bargain.
How detailed is your driving test? I always got the impression that you just get in the car, drive around the block and that's about it. Oh, and 16 year olds can learn to drive and I remember hearing somewhere that learners can drive trucks up to 26 tons!
How detailed is your driving test? I always got the impression that you just get in the car, drive around the block and that's about it. Oh, and 16 year olds can learn to drive and I remember hearing somewhere that learners can drive trucks up to 26 tons!
Tricky enough, or at least in Hawaii. Sounds to be rather similar to the UK driving test. Drive on various types of road, demonstrate observation skills, appropriate road safety practices, ability to adhere to speed limits, parallel parking and so on.
You can learn from 16, even at 28 as a learner I'm restricted from anything with more than 15 seats in I believe it is, and pretty similar to uk weight restrictions.
Passed the test, with a series of minor points. I did briefly did 18mph in a 15mph limit...oops. Didn't turn my wheels in to the road when I'd parallel parked (WTF?!) and a few other niggles.
Now my UK driving license photo card has a hole punched through it and my paper counterpart has been stamped 'NOT VALID FOR DRIVING IN THE US' or some such rubbish. No idea why they felt it necessary to do that, but I guess I can probably just get a re-issue should Lana and I decide to move to the UK.
So now I can drive on my own on the wrong side of the Road. Yay \o/
Make sure you tell everybody you come into contact with that its the wrong side and you arn't happy about it! also well done :) i hope to pass before Christmas but its not looking likly! i keep bouncing my foot on the gas when pulling away
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